Young Children Publication:"This guidebook is designed to help teachers develop a meaningful vocabulary in American Sign Language to use in their teaching practice with hearing children. Murray shows techniques for embedding sign language in daily routines and in the curriculum as a natural form of communication alongside the spoken word. Teaching babies the signs for caregiving rituals can enhance successful communication and help them bridge the gap between understanding words and speaking them. For example, the signs for more or all done! can help create peaceful, smooth transitions for babies at mealtimes. The author illustrates signs that can help toddlers and preschoolers practice emerging social skills, including the sign for share, and express their feelings, with signs for sad and angry. Sign language helps teachers reach children with special needs and creates a common classroom language for English language learners. The signs are easy to learn, with photos of an adult or young child demonstrating each sign and showing the importance of facial expression. Each photo is accompanied by an explanation that graphically describes the movement, such as in the sign for thank you: hand starts at lips and moves outward as if blowing a kiss."

Early Childhood News:"Written for teachers of hearing children from birth to age six, Simple Signing is the perfect introduction to teaching young children through sign. There are chapters for infants, toddlers, and preschool children, with age-appropriate signs. The chapter written for teachers of infants focuses on using beginning signs as a bridge to communicating with words, while the toddler chapter focuses on signing to promote expression, enrich vocabulary, and teach social skills. The preschool chapter places an emphasis on using signs to enhance literacy skills."

Midwest Book Review:"In Simple Signing With Young Children: A Guide For Infant, Toddler, And Preschool Teachers, preschool teacher, special education instructor, early interventionist, parent educator, nursery school and childcare director, and sing language workshop presenter Carol Garboden Murray draws upon her more than 17 years of experience and expertise to write a thoroughly 'user friendly' instruction manual for parents, teachers, and care-givers to teach very young children how to communicate through sign language. Detailed photographs aptly demonstrate how to execute each sign while written directions provide a methodical and step-by-step guide for educators and parents. Comprehensive, authoritative, and superbly organized, "Simple Signing With Young Children" is the ideal introductory instruction manual and very highly recommended for anyone having to teach sign language to very young children at home, in a daycare center, or a community preschool program."

Reader and Teacher Reviews"An excellent resource for preschool and early childhood teachers"I purchased this book to augment the Creative Learning curriculum I use in my preschool room and was not disappointed. Simple Signing with Young Children is a WONDERFUL, pertinent, practical guide to incorporating ASL into your classroom. Carol Garboden Murray did a great job at introducing ASL concepts and explaining the basics to someone like me: a preschool teacher interested in adding sign language to our everyday routine. The pictures are great: lots of them and easy to reference. The photos include the person and their facial expression, which is such a key element to learning...instead of just pictures of the hand demonstrating each sign. The author also does a great job a explaining variations on the signs and how children typically adapt them to their developmental level. Her chapter on Sign Language for Babies is particularly thorough. Because of my background, I was most interested in her chapters for toddlers and incorporating ASL into the classroom. I was so excited to learn songs, fingerplays, and signs for classroom routines (like story time and "five more minutes to play"). There is also an index of signs at the back of the book for easy reference. I cannot say enough about what a great resource this is. Our preschool has currently ordered another copy to keep on hand as a resource for all of our teachers at the center. - Kyla H.

"Fantastic resource, very easy to use"I love using signing with young children, and I've been to several workshops on the subject. I learn all the colors, animals, etc., and forget them the next day. This book is great to have around for quick reference so I don't keep forgetting, but more than that, Murray presents excellent ideas for incorporating signing into classroom routines and using them in songs. I'm a music teacher so I've found this helpful and inspiring as I try new ways to use signing with singing. She also includes pictures of real children and adults doing the signs in an index. This is the best book for signing in early childhood that I've found. - Abby Connors

"Very Helpful"I am a preschool teacher and find this book to be a great quick reference when I need to look up a word on then spot. My kids love learning sign language and I'm very glad I purchased this book! - Lisa D.

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